1. Field of Invention:
The field of the invention includes electrolytic treatment apparatus often found classified in Class 204; and a process of exchanging metal on a workpiece often found classified in Class 204 as well.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
The prior art is exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 936,472; 3,661,752; and 3,904,489; and also in French Pat. No. 331930 and Patents in Great Britain Numbers 760016 and 18643 (the latter published in 1899).
In the prior art type devices, rotary members for light frictional engagement with the cathode are shown. Moving contact is also shown for purposes of wiping away bubbles, electrodeposition, and the like, so that the electric plating action will proceed without contamination or film barriers on the surface to be plated. The prior art, however, fails to deal with the modern problems of gold plating, particularly as applicable to the plating of contact points on a curvilinear surface. In the plating of such contact points, the prior art techniques have involved dipping in the anode, and therefore plating portions of the contact which do not require plating. Where precious metals such as gold are employed in the plating, this overplating even to the extent of 100%, doubles the cost of material which is a significant cost in the gold plating of any product. Also because the prior art involves dipping, there is no way of discreetly determining the spectific area to be plated, much less determining the exact thickness to be plated on the discreet area.